As Birthday boy Amir Khan sat sipping coke at his post-fight party in the wee small hours, he looked like he had everything.

In the corner of the Platinum Suite at the Reebok Stadium, was an enormous ring-shaped cake with 21 candles.

A few hours earlier he had sparked out Graham Earl in just 72 seconds to record the best win of his blossoming career.

Back home was a house full of birthday presents, which will probably take him from now until Christmas to open.

But in front of him on a huge TV screen was what he wanted more than anything else.

Ricky Hatton was walking to the ring at the MGM Grand with 'Blue Moon' booming out to face Floyd Mayweather - and that's what Khan dreams of doing.

"I would love to be out there on the big stage, fighting for world titles in America," he said. "I want to see my name up in lights in Las Vegas.

"I want to be top of the bill there, to walk down The Strip and see my picture on the billboards - that would be just brilliant.

"I've had a taste of it. I was out there for the Mayweather-De La Hoya fight in May and I said to my mate Saj: 'Can you imagine one day me up there on all those billboards with my name in lights?'"

That day is fast approaching and his destruction of Earl in the second defence of his Commonwealth lightweight title shows he is ready for the next step up, which is likely to be a clash with European king Yuri Romanov at London's ExCel on February 2.

Promoter Frank Warren has also promised a spectacular show in a football stadium in June to take the nation's mind off Euro 2008 and this may be the world title shot Khan craves.

Warren used the word "phenomenal" over and over again when he eulogised about Khan's display at the Bolton Arena and even said he reminds him of Sugar Ray Leonard.

"That was a bit of a statement from the birthday boy," he grinned. "We have just seen the start of a new era in British boxing.

"That was something else and it reminded me of Sugar Ray Leonard. In Amir we have the British answer to Ray Leonard.

"Ray Leonard is an icon, the best boxer I've ever seen in the flesh and that's how good Amir could be. I'm not going over the top, but Amir's confidence, hand-speed, dedication, athleticism, power and maturity all remind me of him."

Khan has never doubted his ability, even before he won an Olympic silver medal aged just 17, and wants to go down as one of the country's all-time greats.

"To be compared to a legend like Sugar Ray Leonard gives you a great boost and a push," he said with a boyish twinkle in his eye.

"If I can keep on going like this I'll be a legend as well and that's what I want to be."

Watching sports stars Ryan Giggs, Andy Johnson, Tim Cahill and Darren Campbell certainly seemed impressed and the final word went to Frank Bruno, who knows what it takes to win a world title.

The former world heavyweight champion, who got the second loudest cheer of the night when he stepped into the ring, said: "How far can he go? He can go all the way to the world title."

After the doubts expressed when he was floored by Willie Limond, there's no doubt that, like his preferred drink at his party, Khan is the real thing.